IN THE GARDEN: Connecticut greenhouse is worth the trip

I first heard about Logee’s Greenhouse several years ago at a meeting of the New England Hosta Society. I overheard a group talking about a trip they had made to this nursery.

By Thomas Mickey

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Thomas Mickey

Posted Mar. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 31, 2013 at 7:04 AM

By Thomas Mickey

Posted Mar. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 31, 2013 at 7:04 AM

» Social News

I must admit that we have few houseplants. I like that arrangement since in the summer I spend considerable time outside in the garden.

Most of our houseplants stay inside for the winter and vacation outdoors in the summer months. That seems to work.

An addition to the indoor plants has proven to be tough and easy to care for, the Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Black Star’. It assumed its spot on the windowsill two years ago during the cold winter with the snow piled high and after a trip to Logee’s Greenhouse in Connecticut.

I first heard about Logee’s Greenhouse several years ago at a meeting of the New England Hosta Society. I overheard a group talking about a trip they had made to this nursery.

Of course a new nursery to explore gets the attention of any plant lover. It took a while to be able to make the trip, but the date finally arrived on a cold winter day in February.

Logee’s is located off Interstate 395 in the town of Danielson, Connecticut. When you leave the expressway, you travel through the town filled with its neat houses, a couple of fast foot stores, and a gas station. The drive to Logee’s from the exit seemed only a matter of minutes.

Logee’s Greenhouse sits in a neighborhood with mostly small houses. It must have been there a while because, I thought, no neighborhood wants a commercial business in its midst. But I soon found out that Logee’s is not like any other business.

William D. Logee started his greenhouse in 1892. The nursery began as a cut flower business and soon included tropical and unusual plants.

His eldest son, Ernest Logee, also became interested in horticulture and turned his attention to growing tropical plants in containers, mailing many of them to fill orders from around the country. Begonias became his favorite plant. He hybridized begonias for Logee’s and was one of the original founders of the American Begonia Society.

Today the third-generation owner of Logee’s, Byron E. Martin, along with Laurelynn Glass Martin run the business. Over the years they have added new greenhouses.

When you enter Logee’s you are in the front store area, which adjoins the old greenhouse. What a thrill to walk down into the greenhouse and tread along the stone and dirt pathways that have stood the test of time.

The plants, many tiny, sit on wire screen shelves in pots, sorted according to variety. Everything is clearly marked and priced. Most of the plants are tropical, including, of course, begonias of varying colors and size.

The plant that I found, the small Sansevieria ‘Black Star’, stood out with its bright shiny variegated pointed green leaves. The creamy-yellow edging caught my eye. I thought here is a plant I’d like to try.

Page 2 of 2 - For the past two years the ‘Black Star’ has grown to about 8 inches high and 6 inches wide, its mature size, still in the container I potted it in so long ago. I water it perhaps every six weeks, or when it is dry. During the summer I put it outside on our deck. The leaves form a tight rosette, the size of a bird’s nest.

Logee’s is known for its vast selection of tropical container plants, dwarf citrus trees, vines and climbing plants, flowering houseplants and other exotic plants. You can visit Logee’s any time of the year. In May you will even find colorful annuals for sale. Logee’s still ships everywhere.

For more information about this historic Connecticut greenhouse check out www.logees.com.

Quincy master gardener Thomas Mickey, with a new book “America’s Romance with the English Garden” due in May, is professor emeritus at Bridgewater State University. You may reach him at www.americangardening.net.